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Outrages

  

9486 in the collection  

    MA Students Suing State Over MCAS Requirement

    Students suing to stop the state's use of the MCAS test as a graduation requirement plan to file papers today asking a judge to act before diplomas are denied this spring, one of their lawyers said.

    Students' lawyers are seeking a preliminary injunction in Suffolk Superior Court to force a halt in the high-stakes battle over the exam. This year's graduating class is the first required to pass the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System test to receive their diploma.

    ``It will be irreparable harm'' if the suit is not acted on quickly, said plaintiff's attorney Kathleen Boundy.

    Representing eight students, the lawyers launched the legal fight against the state-supported MCAS requirement in September. They maintain the test discriminates against minority students, who have failed at higher rates than whites, and that the state has no authority to deny diplomas based on test results.

    State Department of Education spokeswoman Heidi Perlman said she had not seen the injunction and could not comment on it.

    But she added, ``We are very confident that the standard we have set is the right standard for students in Massachusetts. We believe the test is fair, it's a reachable standard and we think it's what is best for kids.''

    Those for and against the exam are gearing up for battle as graduation nears. More than 10,000 students have yet to pass the 10th-grade MCAS exam. Much-anticipated results from the latest retest will be released in a week or two.

    A rally to support delaying the exam's graduation requirement is planned for today at the State House sponsored by Project Hip-Hop with support from the Black Ministerial Alliance and others.

    The Boston-based Project Hip-Hop will unveil a plan to hold students accountable for improvement without denying diplomas, said Executive Director Mariama White-Hammond.

    ``We think the public is misinformed about what's going on. They think the kids who aren't passing are just lazy,'' she said. ``We're not against standards, but you can't ask kids to pass a test with information they haven't learned.''

    — Kevin Rothstein
    Students seek to end MCAS requirement this spring
    Boston Herald
    Feb. 20, 2003
    http://www2.bostonherald.com/news/local_regional/mcas02202003.htm

    INDEX OF OUTRAGES

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